That would piss me off!! I haven't gotten that from strangers, but my brother in-law likes to joke about how his giant mutt would eat my Couver. I just laugh it off, but I want to tell him all the good things about my boy (no slobber, chewing, shedding, smell, no knocking things off the coffee table and jumping on the counter...). Haha. And plus, I don't need a dog for protection, I have my 6'4" 280 DH